Michigan State University Athletics
Spartans Announce Highly-Anticipated Class of 2011
11/15/2006 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2006
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Having been in the Associated Press poll for the last 55 weeks, the Michigan State women's basketball program will get to add a few more rankings to its already lengthy resume under head coach Joanne P. McCallie, as its Class of 2011 recruiting class has earned several Top 20 rankings from national recruiting Web sites.
With three of the nation's Top 100 prospects as ranked by several online publications, Blue Star Report.com has the Spartans ranked 17th in the nation with its recruiting class and HoopGurlz.com had the Spartans listed several times in Joe Montes' statistical analysis of the nation's best recruiting classes. When ranking a team's top three-ranked prospects, the Spartans were 11th in the nation and when ranking a team's overall class, the Spartans fell in 12th.
"This is an incredibly talented group, both academically and athletically," McCallie said. "There is a lot of great support behind these women, and we're very excited. It's a very special class. We tried to find players that best suited us, wherever that might be. We're a people-program and we gravitate towards people that we appreciate and like, and I think when it was all said and done, these kids kept gravitating towards each other.
"This class brings depth, strength, quickness, versatility and intelligence - academically these kids are very sharp. These are student-athletes that are going to make a difference at Michigan State. Potentially, they are all impact players."
Below is a look at MSU's five signees that comprise the Class of 2011:
Lykendra Johnson • F • 6-1 • River Forest, Ill./Trinity
A four-star recruit ... Ranked 30th overall and ninth at her position by HoopGurlz.com ... Ranked 84th by Blue Star Basketball.com ... An adidas Top 10 Camp Upperclass All-Star in 2006 ... Ranked the sixth-best power forward and 26th overall by All-Star Girls Report ... Earned Honorable Mention Street & Smith All-America honors in 2005 ... Averaged 13.6 points and 9.2 rebounds during her junior season ... A member of one of the top AAU programs in the country, Chicago Hoops Express, which has sent numerous players to Division I teams ... A super-athlete, a coast-to-coast slasher, with a blue-collar work ethic and tenacious rebounding ability ... Also a member of the Trinity volleyball team ... The niece of Russell Cross, the former Purdue center who was chosen No. 6 overall in the 1983 NBA Draft by Golden State ... Chose Michigan State over Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan and Purdue.
"She is a very versatile three-four player and one of the most competitive kids I have ever seen," McCallie said. "She can play off the dribble, rebound, shoot the three and is basically unlimited in potential."
Kalisha Keane • F • 6-1 • Ajax, Ontario/Westdale
Ranked 34th as a wing/forward by All-Star Girls Report ... A member of the Canadian National U-20 team that took bronze at the FIBA Americas U20 Championships last summer ... Led Team Canada with 9.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game at the tournament ... Considered to be one of Canada's top collegiate prospects, was named MVP of the 2005 Five Star Camp, one of the top developmental camps in the country ... Transferred to Westdale Secondary in Hamilton, Ontario, as a senior to join Canada Basketball's National Elite Development Program ... The NEDA team participates in several national and international tournaments throughout the school year, including the Canada Basketball Invitational Tournament ... Averaged 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists with Sinclair Secondary School in 2005 ... Played with Ontario Provincial team that won gold in Canada's Summer Games in 2004 ... A very strong player that can post up or dribble and is a solid 3-point shooter with excellent range ... Averaged 46 percent from long-range as part of Team Canada.
"Kalisha is another versatile player that can play the three or four," McCallie said. "She can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor. She's a savvy competitor that likes to take tough shots in tough situations, and is academically very strong."
Brittney Thomas • G • 5-10 • Bolingbrook, Ill./Bolingbrook
A part of the Team USA U-18 Team Trials ... Ranked 26th among the nation's shooting guards by All-Star Girls Report ... Rated 50th in the nation's Top 100 recruits by Blue Star Basketball.com ... A four-star recruit, ranked 70th in the nation's Top 100 recruits by HoopGurlz.com ... Ranked the 39th-best guard in the nation by the Web site ... Helped Bolingbrook to a state title as a junior, averaging 11.4 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.2 assists, 3.2 steals and 2.0 blocks per contest ... Has 1,201 points and 397 assists during three seasons at Bolingbrook ... A three-time SouthWest Suburban All-Conference selection and two-time all-area pick ... Was a part of the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-State teams the last two seasons and was an Associated Press Class 2A All-State honorable mention honoree in 2006 ... Was a standout on her AAU team, the Illinois Dream Team ... Strong, athletic combo guard that can play the one and two positions ... A tough defender, applies relentless pressure from end to end ... Also a member of the volleyball and track and field teams, earning all-conference and all-area honors in volleyball and qualifying for the state meet in the 400-meter relay... Mother, Angela, played volleyball at Ohio University ... Plans to study advertising.
"Brittney is a tremendous point guard that I have liked for a long time," McCallie said. "She's a defensive stopper, a tenacious player and competitor that likes to play off the dribble. She is the quintessential point guard."
Cetera Washington • F • 6-0 • Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix
Was rated the top senior in the state by the Detroit Free Press in the preseason ... Ranked the 18th-best wing/forward in the country by All-Star Girls Report ... Averaging 22.8 points, 11.1 rebounds, 5.2 blocks and 4.8 steals per game this season for Loy Norrix ... A top contender for Michigan's Miss Basketball title ... Averaged 24 points and 10 rebounds as a junior ... Helped the team to three district titles and a Class A semifinals appearance ... Was a member of The Detroit News' Dream Team last season and earned All-State honorable mention accolades the last two years ... A standout player on her AAU team, the Michigan Belles ... A quick, athletic wing player that can put the ball on the floor or post up ... Chose Michigan State over Pittsburgh and Michigan.
"She is primarily a three player and is extremely athletic," McCallie said. "She impressed us tremendously at Elite Camp. She's going to work on her outside shot, but she can put the ball on the floor and take it hard to the basket."
Taja Wilson • F • 6-2 • Pittsburgh, Pa./Penn Hills
A four-star recruit according to HoopGurlz.com ... Ranked 65th, 23rd at her position, in the Top 100 recruits by the Web site ... Ranked the 16th-best power forward in the country by All-Star Girls Report ... Ranked 91st by Blue Star Basketball.com in its list of Top 100 recruits ... Averaged 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game for Penn Hills as a junior ... Was a All-Section 2 AAAA First Team selection for her efforts ... Played AAU basketball for Rock Solid program ... A former gymnast, has an agile body that helps her explosiveness around the basket ... A strong body forward that can score down low but also has range out to 16 feet ... Can go coast to coast and get to the free throw line ... Chose Michigan State over Purdue, Boston College, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech ... Plans to study biology.
"Taja is a great four player that can shoot the three and put the ball on the floor," McCallie said. "Again she is a tenacious competitor and is academically solid."
